TTLJDFL Chapter 52

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A few days ago, Li Jin had seen that this garment was only half-finished. He wasn’t in a hurry to wear it—just watching Qin Muwen sit by the window, stitching it together with care, already made him feel deeply content.

On the bed beside Qin Muwen, the little Baozi was sleeping soundly.

These two were his family.

At that moment, Li Jin wanted to learn how to paint—to use a brush to capture the two people most deeply connected to him in this world.

Just thinking about it made him feel happy.

Of course, between husbands, painting each other could also add a subtle intimacy.

Unfortunately, Li Jin had never learned to paint. The only passable artwork he had ever created was a spontaneous sketch of Baozi’s smiling face.

He had even promised to draw a portrait of the young man, but it wasn’t that he forgot—every time he picked up the brush, he felt inadequate.

Li Jin believed that someone as wonderful as Qin Muwen deserved a truly beautiful painting.

A simple sketch wouldn't do justice to the beauty he saw in his heart.

So the task had remained unfinished.

Now that he no longer had to sit at the clinic, Li Jin had the time to learn an "art."

The Six Arts consisted of ritual (礼), music (乐), archery (射), chariot-riding (御), calligraphy (书), and mathematics (数).

In his original era, "书" (calligraphy) was understood as both calligraphy and painting. But in this world, "书" (calligraphy) specifically referred to painting.

Calligraphy, being a basic skill for scholars, was no longer considered part of the Six Arts.

Li Jin didn’t mention his desire to learn painting to Mr. Song because Mr. Song, coming from a humble background, had only recently accumulated some savings through teaching but still had to support his clan.

Li Jin had never seen any paintings in Mr. Song’s study.

Clearly, Mr. Song was too busy and had no experience in that field.

As for Chen Xiran, memorizing texts was already the biggest expectation his family had for him—painting was out of the question.

Though, from what Li Jin had heard, Chen Xiran might know horseback riding. He hadn’t confirmed this yet.

In short, no one around Li Jin knew how to paint. The town was small, and the few well-known scholars were unlikely to have the legendary "hidden master of the art world" found in storybooks.

Li Jin simply couldn’t find anyone to teach him painting.

The Next Day

The next morning, after having breakfast at home, Li Jin took a stroll around the courtyard with Baozi in his arms.

There were no classes today, and the poetry gathering was set for sìshí (between 9–11 AM).

Since the teahouse wouldn’t open too early, Li Jin practiced some calligraphy before heading out.

He had already arranged with Chen Xiran to meet at the bun shop near the town entrance before heading to the teahouse together.

When Li Jin arrived, Chen Xiran was already squatting by the roadside, eating a meat bun.

The bun shop’s owner looked completely baffled—she couldn’t understand how someone in silk clothing could squat by the road to eat like that.

Chen Xiran handed Li Jin two meat buns. Li Jin wasn’t planning to take them at first.

But Chen Xiran said, "I know you already had breakfast, but I’ve attended these poetry gatherings before. People just keep making poems and praising each other. Don’t expect to eat until late afternoon."

Li Jin thought for a moment, then took the buns and started eating.

He had eaten early in the morning, and if the gathering really lasted that long with nothing but tea, he would definitely get hungry.

As they walked, Chen Xiran explained that Mr. Song had sent Dalang to his house in the morning to tell him to share his experiences with Li Jin.

This way, Li Jin would have some idea of what to expect.

So Chen Xiran skipped breakfast at home, bought buns and pastries, and ate with Li Jin.

In the end, Li Jin realized that Chen Xiran’s entire "experience" could be summed up in three words: boring and hungry.

The boredom came from the fact that, at these gatherings, he mostly just joked around. He couldn’t appreciate the poetry others composed, and his own poetry… was even less appreciated by others.

But because of his teacher’s reputation, he had to attend these gatherings—otherwise, he’d be seen as unsociable, which could hurt his chances in the imperial exams.

Chen Xiran said, "This time, I’ve prepared lots of inspiration. No matter what topic they pick, I’ll be able to write something."

And, more importantly, it would be something they could actually appreciate.

The teahouse wasn’t far from the town—it was part of a wealthy family’s estate in the county. Normally, the place was unoccupied, but the servants tended the tea fields in the courtyard. Occasionally, they would roast tea leaves for sale, but most of the harvest was sent to the main family.

One of Huang Xiucai’s students had family connections with this wealthy household, so he had borrowed the estate for the poetry gathering.

Chen Xiran often wandered around town and knew the way, so Li Jin didn’t have to ask for directions.

When they arrived, only the student who had borrowed the estate was there. He welcomed them inside with a smile and introduced himself.

"My surname is Xu, my name is Xu Zifan, and my courtesy name is Yuandao. I am a disciple of Mr. Huang, preparing to take the imperial examination next February."

Xu Zifan had proper and upright features. At twenty-four years old, he had already taken the county examination once before. However, according to him, that attempt was merely to gain experience.

Chen Xiran and Li Jin also briefly introduced themselves.

Both of them were not yet of age and would be taking the county examination for the first time next year.

Li Jin thought to himself—indeed, this was not merely a poetry gathering. Instead, it was a way for Mr. Huang’s three students to interact with them, observe their character, and form a ‘mutual guarantee’ for next year’s examination.

The ‘mutual guarantee’ was no joke—if any one of them was caught cheating, all five would be implicated and have their examination qualifications revoked.

With a record like that, who knew if they would even be allowed to take the imperial examination again?

After the introductions, Xu Zifan did not let the servants serve them; instead, he personally brewed tea. With his smoke-blue outer robe, he exuded the charm and elegance of a cultured scholar.

According to Xu Zifan, Mr. Huang had three students planning to take the county examination next year.

One was about the same age as him, named Zhou Qi. Highly knowledgeable, he had passed the county examination two years ago but failed the subsequent prefectural examination. His family then arranged a marriage for him, hoping that having a wife and child would bring him good fortune so that he could succeed next year.

The other was a young man under twenty, like Chen Xiran and Li Jin. He was a relative of Mr. Huang, named Huang Yiling, and would also be taking the county examination for the first time next year.

Being a few years older than them, Xu Zifan shared some amusing anecdotes from his own county examination experience.

"The first time taking the county examination is the best—there’s no anxiety at all. Like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers."

"But someone like me, who has yet to pass at this age, starts to lose confidence."

Hearing this, Chen Xiran’s impression of him improved. A person who could willingly humble himself must have a good temperament—someone easy to get along with.

Li Jin then said, "Brother Xu, you are refined and elegant—your demeanor itself speaks of your composed state of mind."

Xu Zifan glanced at Li Jin, assessing him. He had long heard from Mr. Huang that Scholar Song had two prized students—one was the intelligent and wealthy young master Chen Xiran, and the other was the farmer’s son, Li Jin.

Only Chen Xiran was well-known, while little information could be found about Li Jin.

However, when Scholar Song visited before, he had spoken highly of Li Jin, which made the three of them quite curious.

Now, meeting him in person, they found that Li Jin indeed had a noble air about him—a handsome young man without the slightest trace of a farmer’s background.

More importantly, he was neither reckless nor overly deferential, nor did he exhibit any resentment toward wealth. This left a favorable impression on them.

After a while, someone knocked on the door outside the tea garden.

This time, a servant answered the door. Xu Zifan said, "They're both frequent visitors—no need to formally receive them."

Sure enough, a voice full of youthful energy, yet slightly hoarse, called out from outside the courtyard.

"Xu Yuandao, is this how you treat your guests?"

Xu Zifan retorted without hesitation, "Huang Yiling, are you trying to steal the host’s role?"

Their familiarity lightened the atmosphere of the poetry gathering.

The servant lifted the curtain, and Huang Yiling entered with another young man dressed in a blue robe.

Before they could introduce themselves, Huang Yiling suddenly pointed at Li Jin and took several quick steps forward.

"Doctor Li from Xinglintang!"

The words stunned everyone except Chen Xiran.

Xu Zifan exclaimed, "Doctor Li? The young miracle doctor who won every lantern riddle contest during the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

The last person, Zhou Qi, who had remained silent until now, was equally shocked. "The ‘miracle doctor from a farming family’ that everyone in the teahouses talks about—it's you?"

Li Jin found the situation a bit awkward.

If they had come from high-ranking noble families, even if they were surprised, they would not have reacted so openly.

But since they were all from relatively modest backgrounds, they had yet to master the art of social grace and restraint.

Xu Zifan was the first to recover, realizing that Huang Yiling had led them astray.

After all, Huang Yiling had been sickly every year—yet this year, he was in perfect health, which had puzzled many people.

Eventually, Mr. Huang had explained that it was due to medicine from Xinglintang.

Xu Zifan had seen enough of the world in the county to know that if such a skilled doctor truly existed, he would not remain unknown—his reputation would have spread far and wide.

But Huang Yiling had said the doctor was a young man he had never seen before in town.

Given how young he was, it did not seem like he fit the description of a famous physician.

The group had originally planned to visit Xinglintang before the county examination.

But now… Doctor Li had been keeping a low profile and was no longer working there.

Once everyone sat down again, Xu Zifan smiled and eased the tension. "This is what they call ‘searching high and low, only to find it effortlessly.’ Doctor Li, I toast to you."

After several rounds of tea, the group began composing poetry.

In ancient times, scholars and literati saw chrysanthemums as a symbol of noble character. There happened to be several potted chrysanthemums nearby, though they were not particularly rare.

Xu Zifan suggested, "Let’s take chrysanthemums as our theme and compose poems in turns."

After Huang Yiling finished his poem, he was suddenly inspired and decided to paint.

"These chrysanthemums are blooming beautifully—even better than the ones I’ve seen in town. I must capture them."

Zhou Qi chuckled. "Go ahead, but make sure to gift me a copy."

Huang Yiling scoffed, "In your dreams."

But Zhou Qi’s words reminded him—he had previously sketched a scene of Doctor Li talking to his young apprentice.

—A man in long robes, holding a balance scale, his face handsome and youthful, beardless, his brows slightly raised in a smile as he listened to the person beside him.

Huang Yiling thought to himself—he had intended to gift that painting to Doctor Li as a token of gratitude.

Now, he finally had the chance to present it.

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T/N: Thank you for reading and for the support 🌰🌰🌰